WW2 Saboteurs

Being seventy years of age, I have a tenuous connection with WW2. I taught in Papua New Guinea for almost ten years and have a keen interest in the battles and characters of the war in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

My home town of Fremantle has a very interesting connection to the Pacific war with a major U.S. Submarine base located here.

Recently I was reading an interview with a WW2 Australian pilot who was stationed in Papua during the war. The interview was part of an author's research for a book named "The Guns of Mischu'. The interview can be read here.

In the interview, the pilot recounts the sabotage of 19 Liberator bombers at an Australian base in Queensland during the war. The Liberators were Australian Air Force planes and I cannot understand how such sabotage was effected by Australians at war with the Japanese.

Were the saboteurs being paid by Japanese agents or were they anti-war people? They were obviously working on the base when the sabotage was committed.

Maybe it was along the lines of unionists who refiused to load supply ships carrying urgent supplies to Australian soldiers at war because of a pay dispute?

I am not particulary right wing, but in my 70 years on this place I have endured quite a few hardships and intimidatory tactics by trade unions.